11月3日，近70名参加中非合作论坛的非洲媒体记者来到万众瞩目的北京奥运会主会场“鸟巢”，当真实的“鸟巢”整体结构赫然矗立在他们面前时，很多记者显出颇为惊讶的神情，并表示在这样的场馆比赛，自己国家的运动员一定能赛出好成绩。

Roughly 70 African reporters who are here to cover the China-Africa Summit took the chance to visit the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest".

Antoine Joseph Onezime from Seychelles, an archipelago northeast of Madagascar, guessed that the Stadium will be expected "to have a usage time of about 100 years." The stadium is the largest Olympic project in Beijing and it will serve as the main stadium to hold opening and closing ceremonies of the 29th Olympiad.

As to Seychelles athletes' preparation for the 2008 Games, Onezime said, "Normally we don't have a big delegation¹ coming to the Olympic Games because we don't get qualified². But we are represented anyway. I think the athletes are working hard and really looking forward to it."

Ali Pirir Farah with the Somalian delegation said the stadium "looks like a very interesting architecture, a very beautiful landmark³." "Hopefully I will cover when it's finished." He said.

"There are a lot of Somalians everywhere in the world, in Europe and North America. Our hope is for them to compete for their original country -- Somalia when the Olympics come. Hopefully they'll be able to win for the country in 2008," Farah said.

Vocabulary :

archipelago：群岛，多岛海

architecture：建筑，建筑学